Norberto Miranda Madrid

Radio Visión

September 23, 2009, in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico

Around
11 p.m., at least two masked gunmen burst into the offices of Radio Visión and
shot Miranda multiple times in the back of the neck, a spokesman for the state
prosecutor’s office told CPJ. News reports said he died at the scene. Miranda’s
brother, José, a Radio Visión staffer, was present but unharmed.

Miranda,
44, known as “El Gallito” (The Tough Guy), wrote the Web column “Cotorreando
con el Gallito” and was a host for the online station Radio Visión. In his last
columns, he criticized the lack of safety in Nuevo Casas Grandes and its
surrounding areas. His final column detailed what he said wasa string of 25 execution-style
murders in the area. The journalist attributed the violence to the Juárez
cartel, which was battling the Sinaloa cartel for control of Chihuahua state.

Miranda
had also covered the capture of members of La Linea, an armed group associated with the
Juárez cartel. The coverage led to threats against Miranda from sources
affiliated with the cartel, local reporters told CPJ.